Furnace linings

ABSTRACT

A furnace lining comprises two elongated support members transversely spaced apart and two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart with respect to the width of the support members so as to provide an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between the support members, and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship.

O United States Patent 1 1 3,595,550

[72] Inventor Robert Greer [56] References Cited Whitehurch. Cardiff, Glamorpn, Wales UNITED STATES PATENTS 211 App] No, 817.899 [22] Med Apr. 21'1969 1,505,257 8/1924 Gnffiths 110/1 2,377,528 6/1945 Spencen. 110/1 X [45] Patented July 27,1971 3 97 85 7 965 B [73] Assignee coupe & Tidman Limited 1 ll eattle 110/1 X Neston, Wirral, England Primary Examiner-James M. Meister [32] Priority p 2 1 Attorney-Baldwin, Wight & Brown [33] Great Britain [31 1 20,321/68 [54] fggz g s ABSTRACT: A furnace lining comprises two elongated support members transversely spaced apart and two sets of refrac- [52] US. Cl 266/43, tory tiles spaced apart with respect to the width of the support 52/564 members so as to provide an airgap, the tiles of each set being [51 1 Int. Cl C2lb 7/06 releasably mounted between the support members, and ex- [50] Field of Search 266/43; tending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-tod l tionship.

PATENTED JUL2'! I971 3,595, 550

sum 1 [1F 2 FURNACE LININGS The present invention relates to the construction of a lining for a furnace and is especially concerned with the construction of a hollow-walled furnace. Furnaces with hollow walls are known but in general these suffer from the disadvantage of being massive so that they are slow to heat up and cool down and are awkward to repair.

The present invention has as its object the production of a furnace lining construction which is light in weight, provides high heat reflection from the walls and haslow heat absorption enabling very rapid heating up of the furnace to be achieved. Furthermore, the lining itself is provided by individually mounted, lightweight, hollow tile elements which are very easily replaceable. This is extremely advantageous in the construction of eg reheat furnaces for steel billets where rough treatment of the furnace lining can take place, A further object of the invention is therefore the production of an easily replaceable furnace lining.

A further advantage of the lining construction of the present invention is that the tile elements do not have to be load bearing as each tile element is supported independently of those above and below it.

According to the present invention a furnace lining comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart, and two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart, with respect to the width of the support members, to provide an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between said support members and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end to end relationship.

A pair of longitudinal grooves may be formed in each opposed surface of the elongated support members to mount the sets of wall tiles.

Preferably each support member comprises two elongated bodies supported in parallel juxtaposed side-by-side arrangement, one of the elongated bodies being rigidly attached to the surrounding frame or casing and the other elongated body engaging and mounting the two sets of tiles.

For the wall, the elongated support members are preferably releasable mounted shelves. Preferably one of the bodies is formed with a longitudinal rib of increased width towards its free edge and the other is formed with a longitudinal recess, the longitudinal opening of which has a width greater than the maximum width of the rib, whereby assembly of the two bodies into interlocking engagement may be obtained by relative transverse movement of the bodies to introduce the rib into the recess.

For the ceiling, the elongated support members are preferably releasably suspended.

An embodiment of the present'invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional perspective view of a furnace wall, and

FIG. 2 is a transverse section of a furnace ceiling.

Referring to the drawings the furnace wall is mounted within and supported by a surrounding casing or framework 1, the construction of which is not essential to the present invention. A plurality of elongated support members generally indicated at 2 extend generally horizontally and are spaced transversely (i.e. vertically). Each support member comprises an elongated body 3 rigidly attached to the framework 1. To facilitate this attachment a T-sectioned groove 4 is formed in an outer surface of the body 3. Engaged in the groove 4, at spaced intervals, are fixing bolts 5. Spacer washers 6 of refractory material may be located between the body 3 and support frame 1.

Recesses 7 and 8 respectively are formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the elongated body 3 which serve to receive and engage with correspondingly profiled ridges 9 and 10 in the lower and upper surface of hollow blocks 11. These blocks 11 are mounted end to end between adjacent pairs of elongated bodies to provide a continuous outer wall.

In the inward facing surface of the elongated member 3 there is formed a longitudinal recess 15 bounded at its lower edge by an upstanding'lip 16. The width of the opening 17 of the recess is less than the maximum internal width thereof. This is to be seen in FIG. 1.

Pivotally interlocked in parallel juxtaposed side-by-side arrangement with the elongated body 3 is a second elongated body 20 (hereinafter referred to as a support beam) the two bodies 3 and 20 providing the support member 2.

Along the outward-facing edge of the beam 20 there is provided a longitudinal rib 21 undercut as indicated at 22 to provide a longitudinal recess having a sectional profile corresponding to that ofthe lip 16. Towards its outer edge the rib, as can be seen in FIG. 1, is ofincreased width but that width is less than the width of the opening 17 into the recess 15. The elongated body 3 and beam 20 are assembled into interlocking engagement by first raising the inner edge of the beam and then moving the beam transversely with respect to the elongated body 3 to introduce the rib 21 into the recess 15 and finally allowing the beam to pivot downwardly to bring the lip 16 into engagement in the recess 22. The assembled position of the elongated body 3 and beam 20 is shown in FIG. 1 and it will be appreciated that due to the interengagement of the rib 21 in the recess 15 the beam 20 cannot pivot downwardly below the horizontal but can be pivoted upwardly a limited amount;

A pair of spaced-apart longitudinal grooves 30 and 31 are formed in the supper surface of the beam 20 and a pair of Iongitudinal grooves 32 and 33 are formed in the lower surface of the beam 20. The grooves 32 and 33 in the lower surface have a greater depth than the grooves 30, 31 in the upper surface of the beam.

Mounted in the grooves in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship are two sets 40 and 41 of lightweight wall tiles, spaced apart to leave an airgap 42. The height of the wall tiles is greater than the distance between the base of the grooves 30, 31 and the lower surface of the adjacent higher beam but is less than the distance between the bases of the grooves 32, 33 and the upper surface of the adjacent lower beam. Thus by pushing a wall tile up fully into its respective groove 32 or 33, the bottom edge of the tile may be moved out of engagement with the respective groove 30, 31.

The furnace wall hereinbefore described is erected by bolting the elongated bodies 3 to the support framework 1. After each elongated body 3 has been placed in position and before 7 the next elongated body 3 is secured to the support frame 1 a row of hollow blocks 11 is placed end to end along the elongated body. Thus the outer wall is erected.

A beam 20 is pivotally interlocked with each elongated body, in the manner hereinbefore described, and the sets 40 and 41 of wall tiles are mounted between the beams 20 to provide an internal wall with an intermediate airgap. It will be appreciated that conveniently the inner wall is progressively assembled so that the two sets 40 and 41 of wall tiles are placed between an adjacent pair of beams 20 immediately after the uppermost beam of that pair has been interlocked with its elongated body 3.

A furnace ceiling is shown in FIG. 2 and this, in overall construction, is similar to the furnace wall shown in FIG. 1, although there are differences in detail.

Referring to FIG. 2 the outer wall or layer of the ceiling comprises rows of juxtaposed end-to-end, hollow blocks 50 bolted to the support frame 1. To this end inverted T-sectioned slots 51 are formed in the upper surfaces of the blocks 50. At their side edges the blocks 50 are stepped to provide shoulders 52 engaged by side flanges S3 of elongated hangers 54 which serve as support members. At each side, towards their lower ends, the hangers 54 are stepped to provide shelves 56 and 57. An upper set 60 of ceiling (wall) tiles rests on the shelves 56 of adjacent pairs of hangers 54 and likewise a lower set 61 of ceiling (wall) tiles rests on shelves 57. The ceiling tiles in each set are assembled in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship and the two sets of ceiling tiles are spaced apart to leave an airgap 62.

All the components of the furnace wall and furnace ceiling hereinbefore described are made of any suitable refractory material and in particular it has been found that sillimanite is particularly suitable. The components are preferably manufactured by extrusion as, by using this process, the components are given a good surface finish to reflect heat back into the center of the furnace from the walls and ceiling.

Another advantage of the present invention is that should any of the lightweight wall tiles or ceiling tiles become damaged and have to be replaced they can be removed and replaced individually.

lclaim:

1. In a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing the improvement wherein the lining comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart and two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart, with respect to the width of the support members, to define an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between said support members and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed endto-end relationship.

2. The improvement according to claim 1 wherein each support member comprises two elongated bodies supported in parallel juxtaposed side-byside arrangement, one of the elongated bodies being rigidly attached to the casing and the other elongated body being formed as a beam, said other elongated body engaging and mounting the two sets of tiles.

3. The improvement according to claim 2' wherein the beams are formed on each of their opposed surfaces with a pair of spaced longitudinal grooves to mount the two sets of tiles.

4. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the tiles are formed by extrusion.

5. The improvement according to claim 4 wherein the refractory material is sillimanite.

6. The improvement according to claim 4 wherein the tiles are hollow to reduce weight.

7. in a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing the improvement wherein the wall-lining surface comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart, each said support member comprising two elongated bodies supported in parallel juxtaposed side-by-side arrangement, (said bodies being provided with longitudinally extending tongue and groove means held in interlocking engagement), one elongated body being rigidly attached to the casing and the other elongated body being formed as a beam, said beam engaging and mounting two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart, with respect to the width of the beam to provide an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between the beams of adjacent support members and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relation- Ship.

8. The improvement according to claim 7 wherein the beams are formed on each of their opposed surfaces with a pair of spaced longitudinal grooves to mount the two sets of tiles.

9. The improvement according to claim 8 wherein the rigidly attached body is formed, on its inward-facing surface, with a groove having a longitudinal opening of a width less than the maximum width of the groove, and wherein the beam is formed on its outward-facing surface with a tongue of maximum width less than the width of said longitudinal opening and shaped so as to mate with the groove, the beam and body being interlocked by relative transverse movement to introduce the tongue into the groove.

10. The improvement according to claim 9 wherein the groove is formed on the lower edge of the opening with an upstanding lip and the tongue is formed on its lower side with an undercut recess mating with the lip and preventing downward pivotal movement of the beam when the two bodies are interlocked.

11. The improvement according to claim 9 wherein the grooves on the lower face of a beam are deeper than the grooves on the upper face.

12. In a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing the improvement wherein the wall-lining surface comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart, each said support member comprising two elongated bodies supported in parallel juxtaposed side-by-side arrangement, (said bodies being provided with longitudinally extending tongue and groove means held in interlocking engagement), one elongated body being rigidly attached to the casing and the other elongated body being formed as a beam,said beam engaging and mounting two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart, with respect to the width of the beam to provide an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between the beams of adjacent support members and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship, each said beam being provided with longitudinally extending grooves on its upper and lower faces, the grooves in the lower face being deeper than those on the upper face, said adjacent support members being spaced transversely such that the height of a wall tile is less than the distance between the base of the edge-receiving groove in the upper beam and the upper surface of the adjacent lower beam, and greater than the distance between the base of edge-receiving groove in the lower beam and the lower surface of the upper beam, thereby to enable wall tiles to be retained in position between adjacent beams while being easily replaceable.

13. The improvement according to claim 12 wherein the tiles are formed by extrusion.

14. In a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing, the improvement wherein the ceiling-lining surface comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart each said support member comprising two elongated bodies supported in juxtaposed parallel side-by-side arrangement, one elongated body being rigidly attached to the casing and the other body being formed as a beam and depending from two adjacent rigidly attached bodies, said beam engaging and mounting two sets of refractory tiles spaced vertically apart to define an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between the beams and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship.

15. The improvement according to claim 14 wherein each rigidly attached body is formed on each lateral edge surface with a longitudinally extending shoulder, and each said beam is formed with longitudinally extending laterally projecting flanges which engage with the shoulders.

16. The improvement according to claim 14 wherein the tiles are formed by extrusion. 

1. In a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing the improvement wherein the lining comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart and two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart, with respect to the width of the support members, to define an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between said support members and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship.
 2. The improvement according to claim 1 wherein each support member comprises two elongated bodies supported in parallel juxtaposed side-by-side arrangement, one of the elongated bodies being rigidly attached to the casing and the other elongated body being formed as a beam, said other elongated body engaging and mounting the two sets of tiles.
 3. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the beams are formed on each of their opposed surfaces with a pair of spaced longitudinal grooves to mount the two sets of tiles.
 4. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the tiles are formed by extrusion.
 5. The improvement according to claim 4 wherein the refractory material is sillimanite.
 6. The improvement according to claim 4 wherein the tiles are hollow to reduce weight.
 7. In a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing the improvement wherein the wall-lining surface comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart, each said support member comprising two elongated bodies supported in parallel juxtaposed side-by-side arrangement, (said bodies being provided with longitudinally extending tongue and groove means held in interlocking engagement), one elongated body being rigidly attached to the casing and the other elongated body being formed as a beam, said beam engaging and mounting two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart, with respect to the width of the beam to provide an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between the beams of adjacent support members and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship.
 8. The improvement according to claim 7 wherein the beams are formed on each of their opposed surfaces with a pair of spaced longitudinal grooves to mount the two sets of tiles.
 9. The improvement accOrding to claim 8 wherein the rigidly attached body is formed, on its inward-facing surface, with a groove having a longitudinal opening of a width less than the maximum width of the groove, and wherein the beam is formed on its outward-facing surface with a tongue of maximum width less than the width of said longitudinal opening and shaped so as to mate with the groove, the beam and body being interlocked by relative transverse movement to introduce the tongue into the groove.
 10. The improvement according to claim 9 wherein the groove is formed on the lower edge of the opening with an upstanding lip and the tongue is formed on its lower side with an undercut recess mating with the lip and preventing downward pivotal movement of the beam when the two bodies are interlocked.
 11. The improvement according to claim 9 wherein the grooves on the lower face of a beam are deeper than the grooves on the upper face.
 12. In a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing the improvement wherein the wall-lining surface comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart, each said support member comprising two elongated bodies supported in parallel juxtaposed side-by-side arrangement, (said bodies being provided with longitudinally extending tongue and groove means held in interlocking engagement), one elongated body being rigidly attached to the casing and the other elongated body being formed as a beam, said beam engaging and mounting two sets of refractory tiles spaced apart, with respect to the width of the beam to provide an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between the beams of adjacent support members and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship, each said beam being provided with longitudinally extending grooves on its upper and lower faces, the grooves in the lower face being deeper than those on the upper face, said adjacent support members being spaced transversely such that the height of a wall tile is less than the distance between the base of the edge-receiving groove in the upper beam and the upper surface of the adjacent lower beam, and greater than the distance between the base of edge-receiving groove in the lower beam and the lower surface of the upper beam, thereby to enable wall tiles to be retained in position between adjacent beams while being easily replaceable.
 13. The improvement according to claim 12 wherein the tiles are formed by extrusion.
 14. In a furnace having an external casing and an internal refractory lining secured to the casing, the improvement wherein the ceiling-lining surface comprises at least two elongated support members of refractory material transversely spaced apart each said support member comprising two elongated bodies supported in juxtaposed parallel side-by-side arrangement, one elongated body being rigidly attached to the casing and the other body being formed as a beam and depending from two adjacent rigidly attached bodies, said beam engaging and mounting two sets of refractory tiles spaced vertically apart to define an airgap, the tiles of each set being releasably mounted between the beams and extending longitudinally thereof in juxtaposed end-to-end relationship.
 15. The improvement according to claim 14 wherein each rigidly attached body is formed on each lateral edge surface with a longitudinally extending shoulder, and each said beam is formed with longitudinally extending laterally projecting flanges which engage with the shoulders.
 16. The improvement according to claim 14 wherein the tiles are formed by extrusion. 